Eritrea consolidates Horn of Africa peace

Eritrea wants the UN to lift an arms embargo imposed on the country in 2009 [File: AP]

Eritrea and Djibouti signed a new peace agreement on September 6, effectively ending a decade-long conflict between the two countries.

The peace initiative came sooner than many had thought - signalling a new dawn in relations among nations in the conflict-prone Horn of Africa.

Omar Mahmood, a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said the restoration of ties is a welcome development.

"Resolving the border concerns paves the way for not just the resumption of Eritrea's relationship with Djibouti, but its wider integration into the Horn of Africa, as this was one of the key lingering disputes preventing that," Omar said.

"It is a bit unclear in terms of what the economic dividends for both may be. Eritrea has started to pursue a similar strategy to Djibouti in which it is capitalising on its strategic coastline by hosting foreign military bases and developing its port infrastructure," he added.

The presidents of Eritrea and Somalia signed an agreement in July to restore their countries' relations after years of animosity.

"Following the resolution of its border dispute with Ethiopia, and the state visits by the leaders of Somalia and South Sudan, Eritrea is now primed to be re-admitted into the regional organisation IGAD. The issue with Djibouti was one of the lingering major concerns that needed to be addressed," Mahmood said.

The United Nations has hailed the normalisation of relations between Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

"The agreement reached among the four ministers to work together to restore peace and stability in the region is a positive example for the Horn and beyond," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Eritrea has asked the UN to lifts its sanctions, pointing to the region's latest diplomatic shifts.

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has also called for the lifting of sanctions on Eritrea, imposed over the country's alleged support for the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab armed group.